This project, directed by Professor Anthony F Lang, Jr and Dr Michelle Burgis-Kasthala will explore the nature of constitutionalism and the rule of law in the Middle East.

The project will explore the idea that the creation of Middle East constitutional orders results from a combination of indigenous and exogenous political traditions and practices. It will focus on a range of Middle East states allowing analysis of Islamic/secular, Arab/non-Arab, colonial/non-colonial dynamics. The data will be gathered from: critical readings of constitutional histories; legal and political history; interviews with participants in revolutionary and political activities from the region; interviews with judicial officials in all four states; reviews of international legal aid projects; reviews of media and social networking sites; and consultation with experts from the region and more widely.

Constitutionalism and the Arab Uprisings

The first step in the project is an interdisciplinary workshop, Constitutionalism and the Arab Uprisings, organized in collaboration with the British School in Rome and funded by the British Academy and the Binks Trust. The workshop will take place 2-3 May 2013 at the British Academy in London. The workshop will include a keynote lecture by Professor Nathan Brown, an expert on Middle East constitutionalism at George Washington University. Interested parties should contact the Centre for more information.